Discussion Overview
The discussion revolves around the question of how many different diseases have been identified or diagnosed globally. Participants explore various sources and classifications, including the ICD and GenBank, while expressing curiosity about the total number of diseases, including illnesses, disorders, and injuries.
Discussion Character
- Exploratory
- Technical explanation
- Debate/contested
Main Points Raised
- One participant expresses confusion over the vast amount of information available on the number of diseases and seeks guidance on how to approach the question.
- Another participant suggests that counting diseases could be subjective and proposes averaging numbers from different databases, referencing the ICD's categorization.
- A different participant mentions the WHO's classification of 12,420 disease categories in ICD-10, noting that this includes injuries but excludes external causes of morbidity.
- Another participant expresses a desire for a comprehensive count that includes all types of illnesses, disorders, and injuries.
- One participant references a previous thread discussing a diagnostic assay that could identify numerous pathogens, mentioning that GenBank had over 22,000 disease categories as of June 2004, suggesting that this number may have increased.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants do not reach a consensus on the exact number of diseases, and multiple competing views regarding classification and counting methods remain evident throughout the discussion.
Contextual Notes
Participants note limitations in their sources, including the subjective nature of disease categorization and the potential for differing definitions across medical bodies.